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    • Stealing Music – It Is Wrong

    By Holden Page on March 31, 2009

    moneyThe internet has… changed people. People on the web expect everything to be free, while the thought of paying for something is near blasphemy. Even I at times have seriously questioned what is the need for me to pay for anything on the web? Then I remember this funny concept, a business needs to make money.

    Today labels are in a tough spot. The web is allowing for extreme ease of sharing music content through bit torrents, playlists and even email. Downloading an illegal track of Katy Perry’s can be as simple as a google search. This is effectively loss revenue for labels. In effect your stealing, but that is ok?

    Michael Arrington seems to think so, even going as  far as to say he should be paid to illegally download and distribute music. Michael suffers from what I like to call the “free” syndrome. For years people have bought music in a hard copy format. But as we become more dependent on the web and our expectation is that everything should be free has spilled over to music. So now labels are expected to make something out of nothing, even though there are legal alternatives to download your music that *gasp* consistent of paying for it. People have even gotten enraged over the fact that Last.fm will eventually start charging their international users for streaming music. Yet we expect these businesses to grow and expand by failing advertisements?

    Start thinking people, every business needs to make money, and just because my local Wal-mart is easy to steal from doesn’t mean it is right. Pull your head out of the sand, everyone expects a return on their products and just because bit torrent allows you to download music easily doesn’t mean you should.

    How about this the next time you want a download a song. Open up iTunes and pay 99 cents for a DRM free song. You paid before with CD’s what makes you think it should be free now?

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    Comments

    1. March 31, 2009 at 11:09 pm
      Swin

      I read (and commented several times) on Arrington’s post. That had to be one of the most irresponsible and ignorant posts I’ve seen on there.

      Bravo to you. You are correct – businesses need to make money. They need to make money because they invest in infrastructure, content, processes and goods and services. The music labels are no different.

      The worst thing that ever happened to the music labels was Napster. Not only did Napster put into kids minds the concept that “music should be free”, but they also did an amazing job of giving the labels multiple black eyes in the public relations battle on their way down.

      Let’s all remember that Napster lost too. Why? Because what they were doing was illegal. Period. It was then. It is now.

    2. April 1, 2009 at 8:28 am
      Holden Page

      thanks for your feedback and glad you agree

    3. April 3, 2009 at 1:38 am
      Kinetica

      While I agree on most topics discussed from BOTH articles. It becomes clear, Yes, Businesses need money. Yes, it is stealing to download an mp3. But as an indie artist myself having released ALL our music for free I too believe that music should be free, to a point.

      Part of the problem is actually the way the labels are doing things. Honestly. 20-30 dollars for a cd with 5-12 songs on it? Seriously? Most people download music because they cant afford the high costs of cd’s. And when you come to the conclusion that there are paid services like iTunes most people are afraid to buy because of the DRM. Yeah i might pay 7.99 for the whole cd. Thats a great price. But with alot of services they have DRM meaning yes, you got it to your computer. Now thats all the further it can get. with iTunes you have the option of putting it on your iPod. but what about those people who dont own a 200 dollar ipod. they get screwed. ESPECIALLY in this current economy. I personally am poor. i couldnt even afford to pay .99 for a song off iTunes let alone worry that the certain music im buying is DRM free. That also bring up another subject. You say to go check iTunes for example for DRM free music. Well, their DRM free library isnt all thier music. meaning you get what you get. I dont think that labels should release the music for free, but seriously, somethigns gotta change.

    4. April 17, 2009 at 5:57 pm
      Mike Cuneo

      So if I start up a new business that digs holes in the ground and fills them back in, should people be forced to pay for it? After all, I’m a business and I “need money!”

      Is it really “easy” to steal from your local Wal Mart?

      When I download music for free (which I enjoy) what exactly am I stealing? The original artist still has their song, so how can I steal something if they still have it?

      If artists want to make money, they need to adapt and explore new ways to raise money. Live performances, merchandise (personalized iPods, autographed CDs, etc etc etc etc), or whatever else the geniuses think up. Just because you always used to pay for something, and now can get it for free, doesn’t mean you are stealing. First you have to tell me exactly what I am stealing before we can even debate this. Again, if I’m stealing “the song” or “the album” how can that be, when Lil Wayne still has all the original songs and albums that I have allegedly “stolen.” Also I can go on Youtube and watch pretty much any music video for free, why can’t the artists simply ask YouTube to give them a % of ad revenue? Maybe because they are clinging to a failed business model (ie, $20 CDs that no one really wants to pay more than $5 for)?

    5. April 17, 2009 at 6:15 pm
      Holden Page

      1. Plenty of business revolve around digging holes and refilling them (landscaping anyone?). If you want the good or in this case the service then if the business asks for money you pay for it. You don’t demand it for free do you?

      2. Yes, as a person who works in retail it is considered one of the biggest losses. Millions of dollars are invested in preventing stealing to no avail

      3. Please tell me how many bands you know besides the britney spears and nickelbacks make good money that can pay for a decent living. As for the i-pod idea your hilarious, U2 might’ve gotten away with that but that was with the backing of Apple. Silly of you to think that is viable.

      4. It’s called intellectual property, you still for a book don’t you? But the author has a copy of that book don’t they, that means I should just walk into a store and take it, what do you think?

      5. Sure you can watch them for free, but if you know anything about economics SOMEONE is paying for it. Don’t be so naive.

      6. Last time I checked iTunes is number one for music… seems like they are doing a fine job of adopting legal ways to distribute music that will pay for the millions of jobs labels provide.

      7. You also need to do some research before you leave a comment like this. Simply asking Youtube will not happen bud.

    6. April 18, 2009 at 5:07 pm
      Mike Cuneo

      1. I can get my songs on Youtube or LimeWire for free, and they don’t charge me any money. You still haven’t told me what I’m “stealing” yet when I share music or download it

      2. You are the one who needs to do some research, I’m sad to report. Stealing a book is wrong and actual “stealing” because you are taking the paper, ink, and other materials used to make it. Not because you are “stealing the story.”

      3. Read up on the software industry, porn industry, and others to see how innovation and new products come up without the patent/copyright system. Hell, look at all the free things we have on the Internet! Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, blogs, news, etc etc. Either adapt to changing business climates or die. I will never buy another CD for $15 or $20 again, and I’m damn proud of it.

    7. April 30, 2009 at 6:33 pm
      jon

      i can read books for free from the library and that’s not illegal.

      a musician will make music for the love of music. if the music industry dies, the only people left making music will be the people who genuinely love it, rather than want to get rich.

      most people i know still pay for some music, to support independent artists, and always will

    8. April 30, 2009 at 6:37 pm
      Holden Page

      @jon

      That is because it is called a Public library payed for by someone (a.k.a. your tax payer money).

      So I mean if we use that logic why don’t we just have the government have public music? Then we would get it for “free” right?

    9. August 26, 2009 at 7:16 pm
      Doug

      Hello,

      Just to toss my two cents in, I think that downloading music is a worthless argument. The digital rights developers are not nearly well funded enough to outpace general hackers, so no matter what anyone decides, sharing music is going to continue until the government starts really enforcing file transfers. That being said, my heart of hearts says that it is ethically wrong; I still do it. First of all, musicians make nearly nothing from album sales relative to the rest of their income, that money goes largely to the middle men of the popular music industry: the producers, the advertisers, etc, and honestly, I’m not hurt to cut back their inflated salaries, I think music is too manufactured these days anyway, and the business end of the recording industry is just generally abominable. John Frusciante sits down with his guitar, a small amp, and some bootleg ass recording gear and turns out music every bit as legitimate as anything else, it’s not going to kill anyone to have musicians without hundred thousand dollar mixing boards. Secondly, people haven’t entirely stopped buying albums, they are just more particular, and that also helps drive progress. You wanna see an album worth buying, check out Both Sides of the Gun by Ben Harper: three cd’s, full lyrics, stickers, and scores; that’s a fucking piece of work. Finally, and most importantly, the ease with which music is spread is only making artists that much more likely to become popular, where they can then make money from the things that artists have always been making money from: concerts and sponsorships. At the end of the day, it crosses some boundaries, but it does feel nice to take a few dollars from some overly-stuffed, under-talented pockets while getting to explore new music without financial bounds.

    10. November 6, 2009 at 6:06 pm
      widianata21373

      You look great! So healthy and happy. How are you feeling? Sorry, I know this is about your sister’s music, but I just had to check in and see how you are doing.? Best to you.

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